Frequently Asked Questions..

ATS is a pretty large website; It’s the biggest website of Its kind in fact. Around the many forums here there’s also many, many thread’s aimed
towards helping out members, new and old, navigate around the site as well as various other stuff too. Most reading this thread right now in
particular will also be more than likely quite familiar with how ATS as a forum works, what to do in most situations, where to find something they
need and so on and on and on...

But, due to the size of ATS, there’s also many people out there finding and joining up for the very first time just today, and this applies to every
new day as well. Because of this, there’s always going to be at least a few people out there who may be a bit overwhelmed or confused by what they
find here, something I've come across myself. That however is where I’m hoping this thread can come in. I'm writing up a FAQ (Frequently asked
questions) which will hopefully answer the many questions members may initially have when they first find this place, as well as the kind of things
that are even asked on a regular basis here.

This thread primarily being aimed at the newer members here, the member just finding ATS and the member who's unsure of how things work and so on, but
hopefully at the same time this thread can apply to all of you out there at some point or another – So hopefully all can gain at least something
from it. Well, that’s the plan anyway.

Bearing this in mind, I doubt I've covered everything in this thread still so if anyone has a common question about something still unanswered but one
which can relate to this thread, please don't hesitate to post a reply and ask it. This is a FAQ thus It's supposed to be a helpful thread for all,
and It takes more than one person to make it so. And if you have a question about something on ATS which you’re unsure about, someone else out there
will also have the same question too, so don’t for a second hesitate to ask it.

To jump to a new post, please click on one of the questions below, the question linked to the individual post where It resides:

Posting on ATS

Q: How do I create a new post?

As a member of ATS, as opposed to a mere guest here, you have the option to reply to a post and share your opinion with fellow ATS members. To create
a new post, find a thread here in our forums list, or instead through our
recent posts page, select a thread title and then finally look to the upper right hand corner
of a thread where you'll find this option:

Clicking on that option will then take you to this new page where you can write up your post and then submit it to our forum for everyone else to see,
discuss, debate and so on:

Prior to posting you also have the option to add "bb code" and smilies etc, a guide on how to use this well and appropriately can also be found here:
A Guide to BBCode on ATS

Q: How do I reply to another member?

If you don't wish to make a general post to a thread, instead reply specifically to another member, then you need to look for and then click this
option found in the upper right hand corner of every members post:

With using this feature you'll also be taken to a new page, the very same highlighted above. The only real difference is you will be replying to
someone else, not making a general post, thus the appropriate code to reply to another member will already be present. With replying to another member
It's also worth pointing out that your name will then show up in the reply list of the members whom you're replying to. You can all find your own
reply list, a list of members who have replied to your posts, by going to your
messages and then clicking on ‘Replies’ as circled here:

Clicking on the username will then bring up a link. Click on that link to be taken to the replying post.

Q: How do I quote a member’s post?

To quote a post, once again look to the upper right hand side of every post on ATS where you'll find this option:

With clicking this option you'll once again be taken to the posting page, when clicking on Quote however you'll also now see the post you're replying
to with-in the quote bb code (see a guide to bb code above). Post your reply underneath. When posting your reply, It's also a good idea to cut down
the quoted text to just the section you're replying to, not the whole quoted post. Oversized quotes run the risk of being cut down by staff members
(as they are unnecessary and can disrupt the flow of a thread) and in some cases points will be deducted from your account.

Here's an example of what I mean, although just cut it out completely, don’t leave a snipped message like I have done, that’s a mere example:

Q: How do I edit a Post?

You have a 2 hour window to edit your post, any time after this and unfortunately you will have to contact a moderator so they can do it for
you. If you're still in time however, then you need to look for this option also found in the upper right hand corner of your post:

You'll then be taken to a page similar to your posting page, the only real difference being that when you click submit, you're not creating a new post
to the thread, you're simply editing your existing one.

Q: How do I post a new thread?

Similar to the posting page, you can also find the option to create a new thread towards the upper right hand side of the thread page as shown
here:

In addition to being able to post a thread right from reading another thread, you can also start a new thread right from the forum's list page as
shown here as an example:

Once you decide you want to create a new thread for ATS, you have chosen the appropriate forum to post it in; select the option to create a new thread
as highlighted above, and then you'll be taken to a page which looks like this:

The only real difference it has to the regular posting page is for posting a thread you also have to submit a title. This should be something relevant
to what you're bringing up for discussion.

Helpful Tip: To avoid posting before you're ready, It's a good idea to write your title at the top of the actual post itself (not the
designated title area) and then when you're finally ready to post, just copy and paste your title to the title option. That way, you can't
accidentally post the thread before you've added your content (It's an easy mistake to make!) as nothing will ever post with-out a title and with
posting it at the top of the actual posting page, you can be sure you won’t accidentally post a blank thread.

New members with less than 20 posts will also notice first of all that you do not have the option of creating a new thread. For now, you actually can
create a new thread, but only in one forum, the introductions forum. This forum is also strictly for introductions, not a place for you to create a
thread on any topic you wish. Threads in this forum which are not an actual introduction will be closed/removed in most cases.

The Introduction Forum is for introductions… To tell something about you; not to start a thread about a topic. ATS has a twenty post requirement
before a new member can start a thread on the myriad of ATS fora… “Intro threads” that are really “topic threads” will be removed. Twenty
may sound like a lot, but it won’t take any time at all (especially if you start a really good introduction thread

). The minimum post
requirement is there to give you a chance to acclimate to how ATS operates… And what constitutes quality content contribution (and maybe what
doesn’t

). The bottom line is that your intro thread is about your favorite topic… You!

Your personal text can also be changed to highlight anything you wish. The link can also be anything you wish, so long as It's with-in the site terms
and conditions of use of course.

Q: How do I quote another member’s comments?

To quote another members comments, you must use the quote tags. They will look like this:

[quote] Your text goes here [/quote]

When posted it will look like this:

Your text goes here

Q: How do I post material from another website here?

To post material from another website however, do not use the quote tags. Instead, use the Ex tags. To use them, you must post this:

[ex] Your text goes here [/ex]

When posted publicly It will look like this:

Your text goes here

Q: How do I bold, italic or underline text?

If you'd like to add bold, Italic, or underlined text to something you're posting on ATS, then you have to lay it out like so:

Bold text shall look like this: [b] Test text. [/b]

When posted publicly it will look like this: Test text.

Bold text shall look like this: [i] Test text. [/i]

When posted it will look like this: Test text.

Bold text shall look like this: [u] Test text. [/u]

When posted it will look like this: Test text.

Q: How can I post a video on ATS?

To post a youtube video, you need to look at the whole link which, as an example here, will be this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMguNxi14Vw

..And you will need to copy the above bolded text (or anything after the = ) into the appropriate youtube tags so It will look like this in full:

[yvid]oMguNxi14Vw[/yvid]

When posted without the above link being deactivated, It will look like this:

If you'd like to post a Google video on the other then once again you need to look at the whole link which, as an example here, will be this:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5602679622368188669

..And you will need to copy the above bolded text (or anything after the - ) into the appropriate Google tags so It will look like this in full:

Interacting with other members

Q: How can I PM another member?

ATS allows us the option to interact with other members via U2U (User to User) or PM (Personal messages) as It's also known. To send another member a
PM, you have this option here found on a user's drop down menu:

With clicking on that option you'll then be taken to your personal messages
page. You can also find this page by clicking on Tools at the top of the page and then selecting messages:

Doing the latter, as opposed to using the drop down menu, will take you to the appropriate page, your messages page, but if you're looking to send a
PM to another member, you will have to fill in their username manually - And It must be typed in exactly or they will not receive the
PM.

New members with less than 20 posts will also not be allowed to send PM's to all members yet. Those members with less than 20 posts will only be able
to send PM's to staff members. For a full list of staff members please see this section: [ADD LINK HERE]

Q: A PM is showing up as read before I’ve got to it, why is this?

This is a surprisingly common issue that pops up around ATS. The reason for which is simple – When you send a PM to another member, say for example
If I was to send a PM to you here, and then I was to immediately go to my outbox, if the PM had not yet been read by you I would notice that It would
show up for me as bolded. If I was to then click on it from my outbox you will no longer see the "new message" icon and the PM will now show up as
being read for you by someone, in this example me, the sender.

Going to your outbox and looking for the PM to go from bolded to un-bolded, but without clicking on it, is also a good tracking system to check on
whether someone has read your PM’s.. as soon as they read it, It will no longer be bolded for you, the same as It will no longer be bolded for them
if you was to click it.

Q: How do I flag a thread?

To flag a thread, you must turn your attention to the upper left hand side of a thread, as circled below:

Clicking where it says "Flag it" will do pretty much that.. It'll flag the thread. The whole point of flagging a thread on Abovetopsecret.com is so we
can determine, as chosen by members, which threads deserve the most attention. The more flags a thread get's, the better and It is you highlighting
that this thread is worthy of being read by other members. The higher flagged threads are also highlighted on the site homepage.

If you've flagged a thread and for whatever reason, maybe you flagged it by mistake, and you would like to remove your flag, you now have that option.
To un-flag a thread first you must flag it, as shown above, and then you'll automatically see this option. Click it to take away your flag:

If you're still a new member to ATS, and you don't have 20 posts yet, you won't have the ability to flag a thread. Instead, you'll see something which
looks like this:

To star another member, look to the top of an individual post of theirs. You'll maybe notice some blue stars, but you'll always notice a
transparent star to the upper left hand corner (although some forums don’t allow the use of starring and in this case you will not see a transparent
star). Clicking on that transparent star gives the user a star from you - the blue stars are what they've received for that post by other members up
until that point:

Starring a post is you, the member, indicating that you agree with the post or appreciate the effort gone into it. It's a way to avoid one line "Hey,
good post" or "thank you" kind of replies. Some forums, like Board Business and Introductions for example don't allow the use of starring and you'll
notice there is no transparent star available.

Q: How can I add a member as a friend?

To add another member to your friends list, search out a post of theirs and using the drop-down menu, select to "add as friend" as shown here:

Friends on ATS also now show up on your own personal profile page with a list of their most recent threads as highlighted here:

Just click "Friends" to bring up the new page. If you scroll down this page slightly you can also find a list of members who have added you as a
friend on the left hand side.

Q: How can I add a member as a rival?

Rivals, as they’re now known on ATS, are Not something for you to use to create a list of people you do not like. It's a list of those
members you believe are pushing you to learn, to tune your arguments, to just be an over-all better ATS member here.

Much like the friends list highlighted above, you need to go to your drop down menu to add a member as your rival as shown here:

They will also, and unlike the friends option, receive a PM to indicate they have been added to your rivals list. And once more, you can find a list
of threads started by your rival members, as well as finding a list of those who have rivalled you, on your
profile page here by scrolling down and looking towards the left side of the page.

Signatures, Images and Customizing my settings

Q: How do I upload a new image and then post it on ATS?

To upload an image to ATS, firstly click on Tools (or follow that link)
found at the very top of this page and then click on "ATS Uploads".

You'll then be taken to your personal uploads page where you can host all of your images you'd like to post to the boards. To actually upload an image
in the first place, look towards the upper left hand corner of your upload’s page where you'll find this option:

You then select an image, one which is saved on your computer already, and It will uploaded to your page. Once the upload has completed, you then need
to re-click on the image you just uploaded where you'll then be taken to a page which will look something like this, but with your own personal
uploaded image of course:

A common method used by many members to "workaround" the avatar size limitation is to use a mini-profile background image, and a clear-GIF
avatar. We will continue to encourage this level of creativity in conjunction with the new avatar limitations.

Pixel Space: The new "visible" space for background images is 180 pixels wide and 400-480 pixels tall (depending on other factors in your
mini-profile).

Yes. To hide all avatars from your view, for whatever reason, you need to once again click on
Tools found at the top of the page. Then, search for this option:

To re-add avatars again, just go back and once again select submit.

Q: How do I change my signature?

To Add/Edit/Change a signature of yours, go to Tools found at the top of
the page and then scroll down until you find this option below (which is my current signature) and simply fill it in with what you'd like to show up
as your signature (the text which shows up below every one of your posts):

I've also circled 2 parts of the above image for a reason. Firstly, when updating your signature, which can be anything with-in the site
Terms & Conditions of Use, and includes bb code as I've shown above linking to two of my
past threads, you Must always select submit underneath what you're updating, otherwise It won't update. Selecting submit from another part of
the page will not update anything.

Secondly, there's a small option to the bottom right hand corner. If you click there, hold it down and then drag it along, your typing box will
increase (or decrease if you wish). It's a useful yet often overlooked tool to use and It’s one that makes thing's that little bit easier around
here I've found.

Q: How do I change my location?

Like before, you need to go to your Tools settings and then search out
this option found at the very top of the page:

As well as updating your location, which will show up when you post, you can also set your time zone - Don't worry if it looks wrong after you have
updated it btw, It will still be set to the time you last updated it to. You can also fill in a bio, a birthday and so on here. Only the location will
show up when you post though.

Q: How do I change my Personal Colour and Text settings?

To edit your colour and background settings, which are the settings responsible for how you look when you post, what colour your username will show up
as and so on, go to Tools and scroll down to find this option:

As before, you need to update your settings by choosing which colour you'd like to show up, and it will give you options to choose when you click on
it. Simply click on submit to make it live.

Q: How do I edit and change my Mood and Custom Title?

Last but not least, to update your mood and custom title, the title which shows up underneath your username when you post, you need to go to
tools and scroll down to the very bottom of the page where you'll find
this option:

Simply update it to whatever you wish, as long as It’s with-in the site terms and conditions of course.

What does this mean?

Every member will notice a set of numbers and letters underneath their avatar, or username if you don't have an avatar.

They mean the following:

P stands for posts and is the number of posts you've made here.

F stands for flags and is the number of times your thread's have been flagged.

S stands for stars and is the number of times you've been starred.

K stands for Karma.

W stands for WATS rating.

In regards to K and W, here's a post from Skepticoverlord, site owner, explaining a bit about them, what they're here for and so on:

It's not real complicated.

Karma is influenced most by a stars-to-post ratio, with a minor influence from flags.

WATS is influenced most by a flag-to-post ratio, with a minor influence from stars and post-count.

Long term members with a high number of well-flagged threads will achieve a high WATS number -- or -- mid-term members with highly-flagged threads
will also receive a high WATS number. It reflects a ranking of those who start quality threads (mostly).

Short term members who create replies that earn stars may achieve a high KARMA number -- or -- those long term members who focus more on adding to
existing threads and are starred as a result, will also achieve a high KARMA number. It reflects a ranking of those who add quality to existing
threads.

Sure, there may be short-lived abuses to stars and flags, but the intent of the system is to aid in painting a larger picture of ATS content. While,
on occasion, some individual posts or threads may receive more flags or stars than deserved, on the whole I believe the system works as intended as a
means to showcase important topics and hard-working members.

You've just received an applause? Great! Applauses are given out by the staff here on ATS and are as they sound.. an applause. They're given out to
you for contributing to our forums and all around adding to the site in some way or another. As well as an applause, the amount of which shows up on
your profile page, you will also receive a bonus of 500 ATS points as a further reward.

Q: Flags and stars, what do they mean?

Flags: As highlighted above already, flags are given out by you, the members, to thread’s which you like, admire, are appreciative of and so
on. They’re your way of saying “Hey, this is a good thread, come check it out”, and together, as a team, you can collectively decide which
thread is “better” or more worthy than another.

You decide which content is good here with such features. Use it wisely.

Stars: Stars on the other hand affect the individual member and individual post, not strictly an individual thread. When starring a member’s
post you’ve effectively saying “I agree with this” or “a lot of work has gone into this and I may not agree with it, but I am appreciative of
the efforts gone into it still”.

They’re to be used by you to decide which posts are “better” or more worthy than another. In a debate, they can potentially highlight who agrees
more with whom also and are an indicator of a good post.

They’re also to be given out to avoid the “good post” type posts that can be seen here. Instead of posting such a thing, just give a star.

Is there?...

Q: Is there a full list of members who are online right now?

Yes. To find a list of all members who are online right now, go to the forum index here, and
then scroll down to the very bottom of the page where you'll find this, a list of members online at that time:

Those in bold are staff members online right now.

Q: Is there a full list of staff members anywhere?

Yes. To find an entire list of all staff members, firstly go to the forum index here, and
then scroll down until you find this situated on the left hand side of the page:

Clicking on a staff members name here will also take you to your personal messages page where you can send them a personal message.

Q: Is there a chatroom on ATS and how do I enter?

ATS also provides a free chat room for members to interact with each other in real time. All Terms and Conditions apply here of course and the only
condition is a minimum of 150 posts to enter. Once you have reached the required posting limit, you can enter and chat away.

To enter the chat room look for “Chat” found at the top of this and every page, or instead please follow this link.

Then you'll be presented with a full list of members who have replied to you. Simply click on their name, which will then bring up a link to their
replying post, and then you simply click on the post.

Q: Is there a main search feature?

Searching before posting a thread is very, very important on ATS. If you post a duplicate thread of another, in other words a thread on the exact same
topic as another recent thread, your duplicate thread will be closed and then re-directed to the original. To avoid this, do a search..

To do a search in the first place, look for “Search” found at the top of every page, or follow this
link. As well as doing a search using the official search bar, which has a handy tip on how to search properly on the right hand side of the
page, It’s also a good idea to look through the forum you plan to post in too. If you’ve done an initial search and then you also can’t find a
thread on the topic you wish to post about in the forum you’re planning on posting in, chances are it doesn’t already exist. Now It’s a good
time to post.

Q: Is there a list of the most popular threads?

To find a list of some of the more popular threads right now you should click on "Top Topics" found at the top of this and every page. Then you can
find a list of the most popular threads from right now, ranked by flags, or instead ranked by
replies. As ell as this you can also find the most popular threads from the last
30 days, from the last 90 days, from the
last 6 months, from a full year, right to
of all time.

Yes. To find a list of the top 50 members in good standing on ATS, as determined by their posts, flags and accumulated stars, follow this link.

Alternatively you can select “Top topics” found at the top of this and every page, and then select this option:

Those members with a gold border around their post are also gold members, in other words are listed in the top 50 list. The next 50 members are silver
status members thus have a silver border around their post.

What to do's

Q: I've just had a post removed, what do I do now?

So you’ve just had a post removed for whatever reason and you’re unsure of what to do next. Well, if you have no complaints and believe the
removal was probably justified, just move on. Don’t dwell on it, instead learn from it and try to improve.

If, on the other hand you don’t fully agree with the decision, then no one is stopping you from reading the PM, particularly the name of the staff
member who gave you the warning, and then sending a reply PM to inquire about exactly why the warning was given. Do not hoever post a public post on
the matter as It will also be removed. It's an issue between you and the staff, no one else.

Lastly, if you’d like to make a general alert about something, such as an offending U2U for example, or instead if you’d simply like to give us a
suggestion on improving ATS, click on Tools found at the top of every page and then look for the
“complaint” option. For U2U's, please copy the offending U2U for us to
review.

I had NO idea this was going to be so extensive when we were discussing last week. I can't get over how well items are covered. I know you spent a
lot of time on this and you deserve many, many kudos sir!

Thanks for the thread. I've been here for a little while, and just now (because of this thread) fully understand how karma and WATS work. --And,
Writer/Fighter/Scholar status. I might go for the Writer myself. --Can you have all three?

My main question is about the points gained from Applause (e.g. 500 ATS points). Can these points be spent on visual upgrades to a person's profile
and such? Or is it simply a tally, like whoever has the most points has bragging rights?

--And, Writer/Fighter/Scholar status. I might go for the Writer myself. --Can you have all three?

Yep, all 3 can be available at the same time.

My main question is about the points gained from Applause (e.g. 500 ATS points). Can these points be spent on visual upgrades to a person's
profile and such? Or is it simply a tally, like whoever has the most points has bragging rights?

Points and their uses are a good thing to bring up here, I'm sure It's something I can add to the main opening posts. Thanks.

And they actually used to be able to buy certain things around ATS, such as a new background color for example, a new headline under your username,
and more stuff of this nature. Now though, you can simply edit that kind of thing right here in your
Tools settings free of charge.

Whether they'll mean something again in the future, who knows. But It's certainly a possibility.

This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression.